Destruction of an Empire
by charliefarlie0408
Summary: After the battle on Starkiller Base, Rey is given a seemingly impossible task - to turn Kylo Ren back to the light. The task seems to become easier however, when the pair seem to bond.
1. Awoken

Rey awoke in an unfamiliar setting. Grey room, bare metallic walls, and a photo in the corner on a stand that she could not focus on. She groaned, her joints ached, and she couldn't quite remember why she was in so much pain. She looked down, she was wearing an oversized shirt that smelled vaguely familiar, her bare legs and forearms were covered in bandages, some of which had blood seeping through. She groaned again and swung her legs off the bed, head pounding. Rey had a feeling she knew where she was, but her head was too painful to think. Carefully she stood upright, testing how much weight her wounded legs could carry. Gingerly, she made her way towards the door, making to burst through as quickly as her injured legs would carry her. She halted, realising that she did not actually know where she was, her head still throbbed, it still hurt to think. Footsteps echoed towards her, she panicked, suddenly realising that she could potentially be in danger. Her eyes scanned the room, looking for a place to hide. The footsteps grew closer. A cupboard, there was a cupboard in the corner of the room, just large enough for her thin body to fit in. Just as she closed the door to her hiding spot, a large hairy figure entered the tiny room, looked around, burbled in confusion, and then opened the cupboard to expose Rey.

"Chewie?" She spluttered, her heart somersaulted, she was on the Falcon! She was safe!

Chewie rumbled happily, and scooped Rey up into his large arms before plopping her lightly on the floor. He cooed with concern.

"I know, I'm sorry. My head's a little fuzzy, I didn't know where I was." She looked into his large brown eyes "whose shirt is this anyway, Chewie? It's massive."

Chewie rumbled again, staring at the floor.

"Han's? Oh… I'm sorry Chewie I didn't realise." She gave him a tight hug "I know, I miss him too, how about I make us some tea and you tell me everything I've missed? Sound good?"

Chewie roared happily.

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Rey sipped herbal tea as Chewie explained what happened. After Starkiller, he had found her lying unconscious in a pool of her own blood, Kylo Ren nowhere to be found. After that, Chewie had quickly stashed her on board the Falcon, managed to patch her up as best he could, and discarded her burned, ripped, blood stained clothes and replaced it with one of Captain Solo's old shirts. Making sure she was stable, he had put her in an old bed and let her rest, with the Falcon docked, hidden out of site, on an asteroid far away from the remains of Starkiller.

Rey nodded and listened, unable to get the horrifying image of Ren coming at her with his sabre out of her head, that terrifying black mask glinting in the moonlight… She shook her head to disperse the image.

"So how long have I been out? Does the alliance know where we are? Have you sent word to the General?" The words spilled out, trying desperately to discard that horrifying image…

Chewie thought for a moment and then burbled. Rey nodded, _2 days? How can I have been out for 2 days!_ Luckily Chewie hadn't tried to contact the alliance, for fear of the First Order picking up the signal. They agreed that it was best to not send one at all, and just head back to base when Rey was able to walk without feeling nauseous. She excused herself and headed back to the room she woke up in, there was a fresher in there she could use to clean the grime and blood and soot off her bruised body.

Rey stared at herself in the mirror. God she looked like shit, sunken eyes with circles as dark as a black hole under them, cuts, bruises, singed hair, soot everywhere. She sighed, stripped, and stepped into the fresher. The warm water ran over her body, soothing her aching muscles, removing the grime and blood. She stepped out, wrapped herself in a large towel, and went back to staring at herself in the steamy mirror. She looked better, but not by much. She sighed and tied her hair in a knot, turned away to hang up the towel, just as her head exploded in pain.

Rey was in a dark room, she turned around and scanned the surroundings, confused. She could see a table, a sofa, and some doors leading to other dark rooms. The setting felt familiar, but her head was still throbbing. Suddenly a tall, black cloaked, masked man entered. Kylo Ren. She froze, and raised her sabre which had suddenly appeared in her hand, she also noticed that she was in her tunic.

 _"That's odd"_ she thought " _I could have sworn this was destroyed on Starkiller."_ She realised that Kylo could not see her, she eyed him as he paced the room, and removed his mask, dropping it on the floor. He twirled his sabre in his large hands and flinched.

"She's alive" He muttered "she's alive, how is that possible" he shook his head and went back to his pacing. Rey watched him intently, figuring that this just me some kind of weird hallucination. She noticed Kylo stop in his tracks and turn to face where Rey was standing. She held her breath as she watched Ren draw his sabre and bring it to life, spitting and sizzling with power.

"She's here" he spat "She's here! Where are you" Where are you!" Kylo swung his sabre, destroying his chambers, leaving the table a smoking wreck. He roared, and continued to destroy the room.

Rey backed up in a panic as he advanced on her, she could hear his breathing, smell the burning of his sabre. She stumbled backwards and was back in the fresher room of the Falcon, lying on the floor in a cold sweat. She stood up, shaking, trying to recall the events of just a moment ago. How did he know she was there? How did she get there in the first place? Was it just some trick of the force? Rey breathed out for several seconds in an attempt to calm down. She saw that Chewie had washed and repaired her clothes as best she could, they were lying in a neat pile on the bed. She dressed quickly and ventured to the cockpit, where she found Chewie preparing for flight. He warbled when he saw her, and patted her shoulder as she sat down.

"Let's go home Chewie"

He roared happily and took off, Rey flicking toggles and checking stats.

"Punch it!"


	2. Rage Monster

Kylo Ren had spent a total of seventeen hours submerged in a Bacta tank, at the orders of General Hux. The General had sent a fleet of Troopers down onto Starkiller to find Ren, unconscious in an ocean of blood, badly broken. Ren had been brought onto Finalizer, and then back to Moraband. Ren had insisted he was fine, that he had suffered worse injuries, but Hux had given him no choice and forced him into a Bacta tank.

Kylo stormed through the halls of the ancient temple, Troopers sank into the shadows as he passed, praying he didn't notice them. Supreme Leader Snoke had requested an audience, and after his humiliation on Starkiller it was not going to go well. The hatred that Ren had for Snoke was almost inhuman, he was a cruel, merciless leader who believed in punishment for all. The Knights of Ren were his pawns, they were to do his bidding and fight his battles.

"Pathetic" Kylo thought to himself "Some kind of leader."

An image worked its way into Kylo's mind, a girl, THE girl. She was surrounded by snow and trees, her pale skin shining in the dusk, teeth bared like a wild animal. Kylo remembered laughing a cold, manic laugh as she lunged at him, sabre raised. There was no way a girl, especially this girl, could defeat him or even harm him in battle. Oh how wrong he was, she had almost killed him, but he had the last blow. Knocking her unconscious with the hilt of his sabre, for some unknown reason however he could not kill her. Instead, he had fled when he saw the familiar lights of the Falcon descending.

"Great" He thought again "Two things Snoke hates, failure to kill and fleeing like a coward."

Kylo huffed, he had not been prepared for how powerful the scavenger girl was, and definitely not prepared how force sensitive she was. Shit. Snoke may actually kill him. No, Kylo wasn't expendable, he was Snoke's best soldier. The leader of the Knights. There was no way that Snoke would risk losing his biggest asset. He gathered himself, cleared his mind, and entered the hall to face Snoke.

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"Come my apprentice" Snoke's voice chilled Kylo's bones, making him squirm.

Ren knelt at the base of the giant hologram, trying to keep his breathing under control.

"Fuck" he thought "You are the leader of the Knights, You have faced so many dreadful situations, why does a meeting with a giant picture stress you out?"

"Rise" Kylo could sense the anger in Snoke's voice, fuck.

Ren rose, being careful not to meet his superior's eyes.

"Supreme Leader, I ask why I have been summoned at this hour"

Snoke laughed, a low feral growl of a laugh, Ren shivered.

"You know perfectly well, my apprentice."

Fuck.

"Your actions on Starkiller were… Unsatisfactory to say the least. Explain to me, what exactly happened"

Kylo froze "I… She…" he spluttered.

Snoke laughed again, Kylo stared at his black boots.

"My little knight has got tongue tied, never mind, I have other ways of finding out"

Kylo stood up straight and cleared his mind. This time he would be prepared, this time it wouldn't bother him.

He was wrong. He was so very wrong. The sensation of Supreme Lord Snoke probing around in his head made his stomach churn. He relived old memories, but they passed too quickly to focus on. Suddenly he was standing in the forest on Starkiller again, fighting the scavenger girl. He watched himself fail, watched their epic battle, and watched the girl strike him. Ren was aware that Snoke could see the unfolding events too, he winced. Rey fell to the ground, and past Kylo towered over her broken body, ready to strike. This was the moment Snoke had been waiting for, Ren swore under his breath. He watched himself lower his sabre, saw the Falcon's lights in the distance, turned and fled. Kylo closed his eyes and breathed out a long shaky breath as he was pulled out of his own head.

Ren had sunk to his knees at some point during the flashback. There was no way the girl had survived, she had been too broken. He opened his eyes to find Snoke staring into his very soul.

"My Lord I-"

Snoke raised a giant hand to silence his young apprentice "She lives"

Kylo's jaw dropped inside his mask, no, she couldn't be alive, he had left her to die in the snow. Unless… Damn what Wookiee and his fucking Kashyyyk healing remedies. Kylo balled his fists and gritted his teeth.

"Now my Knight, my question is, why did you not finish the job? I felt your orders were clear"

Ren bit his tongue "I felt a disturbance in the force" he knew there was no point in lying to his master, he didn't know why he even tried.

"Pha! Lies!" Snoke spat "You have feelings for this… girl"

Kylo's heart almost stopped, he tasted bile "My Lord, there is no way I hav-"

"Search your feelings Kylo Ren, you know it to be true"

He followed his orders, unbelievably Snoke was right, maybe not soppy feelings, but definitely something. His face flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment.

"You are excused my apprentice"

Kylo knelt until the giant hologram was no longer in front of him, he stood, turned, and stormed out of the hall, black cape flapping angrily behind him.

On his walk back to his chambers, he mulled over what Snoke had said.

"You have feelings for this… girl"

Kylo shuddered, trying to think of a reason why Snoke was wrong. But he wasn't. There was a reason he had left Rey to die in the snow, he had felt something, a shadow of his former self. Ben Solo.

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IN his chambers, Ren paced the room, muttering to himself about Snoke, thinking about all the things he would do to him if he had the chance. He found the girl coming into his mind, he could see her messy hair and pale skin. He dropped his mask on the floor, exposing his thin, angular face to the cold air.

"She's alive" he muttered darkly, thanks Chewie "She's fucking alive" he went back to his pacing.

The image stayed in his mind, those piercing blue eyes, the smell of her sweat as they battled, he could almost sense her. Wait, he COULD sense her. He stopped in his tracks.

"Where are you" He looked around the room, eyes wide in panic, but there was no one there. He circled the room, sabre raised "Where are you!" he repeated it again and again, destroying his chambers with his sabre, leaving his table a smoking pile of charred wood and molten metal. He kept screaming and thrashing until he felt the presence subside. Kylo Ren sank to his knees, breathing through his teeth, head spinning, where was she. He had to find her. He made a mental note to never think of this moment again, ever, as long as he lived.


	3. Dreams

Rey walked down the Falcon's ramp beside Chewie, she was greeted by Finn and Poe sprinting towards her and crushing her with love. They laughed, she had never been so happy to see her friends, for a moment she forgot that just a few days ago she had almost been killed.

"You have to fill us in on everything that happened, we thought you'd died, Rey!" Finn said, he talked quickly, excited his friend was alive and home safe.

"You're going to have a kickass scar over your eye by the way! Poe smiled "We've missed having you around, Rey"

Rey brought her hand to her forehead, where Ren had smacked her with his hilt had left a decent sized gash. She smiled at Finn and Poe, and noticed that Poe had his hand resting lightly on Finn's arm. She made a mental note to question one of them later. Chewie rumbled and poked Rey.

"Sorry Chewie I know, I'll see you both at supper, I need to talk to the General" She hugged her friends again and walked off with Chewie to find Leia.

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The pair found the General sitting at her comms table in her office, she looked tired.

"Rey!" Leia sprung at her and hugged her hard, she heard Chewie coo "Oh come on Chewie, you too" the three stood there for a good few seconds before untangling themselves from the maze of limbs.

"Fill me in" Leia said as she sat down, gesturing for Rey and the Wookiee to sit "tell me everything.

Rey did most of the talking, she left out no detail, when it came to discussing Leia's son, she looked solemn. She chose her words carefully.

"General, your son… He chose not to kill me"

Leia looked stunned, eyebrows knitted. Leia nodded slowly, encouraging Rey to continue

"On Starkiller, he… He knocked me unconscious, just before Chewie found me, and he just left. He could have killed me but he didn't"

Chewie rumbled, nodding his head and waving his arms.

"And he wasn't there when you rescued Rey, Chewbacca? This is… interesting to say the least"

Rey took a deep breath "General Organa, I believe there was a part of him, a part of your son, that didn't want to kill me. Almost as if… As if Ben was still in there somewhere."

Leia stood up and began to pace the room, Rey swore under her breath, she should have kept her stupid mouth shut.

Leia faced away from them, and spoke quietly, her voice full of emotion "So… There may be a chance… My Ben…"

Rey stood up "General, I'm not sure what happened out there. All I do know is that a man who has killed hundreds, chose not to kill me. He showed compassion. General, I believe that Kylo Ren can be turned back to the Light"

Leia turned to face her, tears in her eyes "But how, there is no way" she choked back a sob

Rey caught her breath, she should stop talking but seeing the General so heartbroken… She had to do something.

"I can do it, I can show him the Light"

Leia stared at her, mouth slightly open in surprise.

"There's something else, General. I believe him and I are connected in some way" Rey explained the strange scenario from earlier, when Rey seemed to be in Kylo's mind.

General Organa turned away again, to hide the tears making their way down her aging cheeks "We need to discuss this with my brother. Rey, this is such a huge challenge… Are you sure you're up to it? The danger involved is astronomical"

Rey smiled "I don't think your son will hurt me, General"

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Luke Skywalker was meditating under his favourite tree, he opened his eyes as he felt his sister's presence.

"Good afternoon, Leia. It is good to have you back, Rey" He said calmly as he stood "How can I be of service?"

Rey told Master Skywalker everything she had told the General, he nodded in understanding, but stayed silent. When Rey voiced her plan to turn Kylo Ren, his eyes widened.

"You are willing to risk yourself, in order to attempt to save my nephew? That is extremely admirable, Rey"

Rey smiled, praise from Master Luke was an odd thing "After the events on Starkiller, I feel he will not harm me to the extent he would harm another. And the odd hallucination? Maybe we are connected in some way, I could use it for an advantage!"

Master Skywalker nodded, he looked at his sister "I approve of this, but it has to formally be Okayed by you, General."

Leia smiled "As long as Rey is aware of the risks involved, I am happy to do so. Any chance to get my son back and I am there."

Rey almost jumped for joy "Excellent! I already have some form of plan together, it'll need altered of course, but here we go…"

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Rey talked her plan over with Finn and Poe at supper, they looked at her, jaws dropped in a mixture of admiration and shock. The pair were silent for a long time.

"Are you crazy!?" Finn almost shouted "I risked my life to get away from that bastard! He's crazy! Actually, crazy doesn't cut it. That guy is straight up psychotic!"

Poe looked concerned "I have to admit, Rey, you do have balls for even suggesting it, because I could never do that. But I have to agree with Finn, Kylo Ren is known for being pretty… Unstable."

Rey nodded, she could see where her friends were coming from "Guys, I have to try. He's the General's son, we have a connection, he didn't kill me for a reason"

"He killed Captain Solo" Poe muttered "And he was family, they were connected"

"Just try to understand, I can't do this if I know you guys aren't behind me"

The men looked at each other.

"We're with you, Rey. You just have to be careful" Poe said, as Finn forced a smile on his sunburnt face.

After a catch up with her friends, and almost eating everything in the cantina, Rey headed back to her quarters. Even though she was still filled with adrenaline at the thought of bringing back Ben Solo, she was exhausted. She punched the code into the electronic lock pad on her door and slipped into her dark room. Her chambers were decorated minimally, only some old scraps of metal and a portion packet from her time on Jakku decorated her shelves. She placed her lightsabre on her nightstand, kicked off her boots, shimmied out of her tunic, and climbed into bed. The last thing that crossed her mind before falling into a deep sleep, was Kylo Ren's black robes and chiselled jaw.

In her dream, Rey was back on the Falcon. She looked around happily, looking for the friendly Wookiee. Instead, she saw Han. Was this a memory? Rey realised it must have been a memory, but Han looked so much younger than from when she knew him. She heard Chewbacca warbling, when he ran into view, she saw that he had a young, black haired child on his shoulders. Was that… Kylo? No, she told herself, this was Ben, before he had been seduced by the dark. Rey suddenly realised that this was not her memory, but Kylo Ren's. The young child laughed as Chewie placed him on the floor, he must have not been any older than five years old. She watched as Han Solo smiled, and picked up his son.

"Come on, Ben. Let's go call Mama and tell her how we are getting on" Solo said, kissing his son on the forehead. Han walked off, with Ben laughing in his arms.

The dream changed.

Ben was older now, and training with Uncle Luke, but he mustn't call him Uncle Luke, it was Master Luke. Ben was sitting alone, away from the other children, they didn't like him. Ben didn't care, he was stronger, he was better, he was the best. The voice in his head said so too. Master Luke says that Ben shouldn't think like that, that a Jedi must be level headed. Ben didn't understand why, he knew he was the best. The voice told him to not listen to Master Luke. Mama and Papa were arguing again, Papa had to go away on another mission. Mama and Papa fought a lot.

Again, the setting changed.

Ben had no friends, Ben hated Master Luke, Ben wanted to leave. The voice in his head told him to go, to find people who appreciated him, Ben listened to the voice. Ben fled, he stole a ship and left the Resistance, left his mother and father, left the old Ben behind. Ben began training with the First Order, became strong, the voice in his head always praising him, telling him to go one step further. Ben killed his classmate whilst practising with a sabre, he said it was an accident, but it wasn't. Supreme Leader Snoke Knighted Ben, Ben Solo was dead. Kylo Ren was born.

Rey awoke in a cold sweat, realising what she just witnessed she covered her mouth with her hand. She had been inside Kylo Ren's mind, watching his dreams. She stood up, shaking, and poured herself a glass of water to calm her nerves. She paced the room for a few minutes, trying to get the image of Kylo standing over the broken body of his classmate out of her head. She sighed, she was not getting back to sleep tonight.


	4. Intruder

Kylo Ren woke in a cold sweat. Skin crawling. He felt violated. The damn girl had been in his head. Again. Just like the previous time she had wormed her way into his head, he had not seen her. He had though, felt the light radiating from her. Ren stood, fists balled, breathing through his teeth he made his way to the fresher. As he stared at his long, pale face, he suddenly became very paranoid.

"How do I know you're not watching me now?" He said aloud to the empty room

The room did not reply.

He growled. He could not afford to be paranoid, Snoke would sense it. Snoke sensed all. Kylo huffed, and continued about his morning preparations in a foul mood.

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Kylo, Knight of Ren, enjoyed training, he enjoyed being vastly better than his fellow, inferior Knights. Faster, stronger, more resilient. Kylo Ren was at the top of the ladder, Kylo Ren was above all other beings. Today, however, he did not enjoy besting his followers.

"My Lord" A Knight's young apprentice confronted him, voice shaking "have you taken ill?"

Activity in the training hall ceased, eyes turning towards Ren. The other Knights knew it was best not to ask Kylo Ren personal questions. The entire hall seemed to hold its breath.

Ren turned to face the boy, speaking through his teeth he spat "How dare you ask me such questions!" Ren drew his sabre, a shadow passing through his soul.

The apprentice seemed to try to hide in himself, looking around desperately for his master, nobody would meet his frightened eyes.

Kylo raised his sabre high over his head, ready to strike. The apprentice tried to back away, but tripped over his own heavy feet. He closed his eyes as he prepared for Ren to unleash his wrath on him. The pain never came. The boy opened one eye slightly, to see Kylo Ren storming out of the hall, his black cloak billowing angrily around his shoulders, sabre spitting with energy.

Kylo's most well-known trait was his extremely unstable mood. He was known to sulk around the base, seething silently to himself. Often, the other inhabitants of the base heard him muttering to himself "Solo", "the girl", and "connected". On many occasions, Troopers on patrol duty had come across him screaming in rage and destroying his chambers with his sabre, to which they had learned to back off and to never mention it to Ren. But the rumours of him becoming more and more emotionally injured were spreading, even Ren knew this. It had turned into a daily occurrence for him to destroy several items during training, or elsewhere in the base.

On this day, however, Kylo Ren stormed straight to his shuttle, eyes wild with a mixture of terror and fury under his mask. His beloved shuttle was perhaps the only place Ren could go to be completely alone, and the only place he would never destroy with his sabre. As he strode on board, ramp closing behind him, he dropped his heavy mask to the floor and threw off his outer cloak, his thin but muscular frame slightly more exposed than before.

Ren climbed into the pilot seat and began flicking switches, the comms buzzing with static.

"My lord" A voice crackled over the intercom "Your ship is not scheduled for take-off"

"I am Kylo Ren, I don't need my ship scheduled for take-off. I suggest, for your own safety, you allow me to take off" Ren shouted at the radio.

"Very well Sir, bay one cleared for departure"

Ren's shuttle shuddered into life as it took off, his head swam with confusion as he silenced the comms, the man on the other end demanding to know where he was going. Kylo smiled inwardly as he disabled his tracker, he was completely alone with his thoughts.

His thoughts and possibly the scavenger girl.

Fuck.

Fuck fuck fuck.

Was she here now?

Why could she get in his head? More importantly, HOW could she get in his head? Kylo was one of the strongest force users in the galaxy, second only to Supreme Leader Snoke and a handful of others. She had no force training, yet she had beat him in battle, and could now snoop around in his thoughts. Fuck. However, Snoke was right, Ren did have feelings for this girl. Sure, he still hated her stupid fucking scavenger guts, but he definitely felt something else too. He recalled the event in the snow, when he had spared her. Why had he spared her? Kylo was filled with confusion, his hands shook as he controlled his shuttle out of the atmosphere and away from Moraband. Ren didn't have a desired location in mind, but he lurched his ship into hyperspace to escape the rumour filled halls of the First Order.

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Kylo Ren didn't stop flying until his hands cramped and eyes began to droop. His dash informed him that he had ventured far into the outer rim, and he was coming into contact with the temperate planet of Muunilist. Excellent. This was a planet untouched by the First Order and the damned Resistance. The shuttle shuddered as he descended into the atmosphere, clouds parting as the black X-Wing displaced them. The ground came into view, dense forest and rolling hills, he remembered his father showing him an old photograph of this planet when he was very young. Woah. Ren shook his head, where had that thought come from, he scowled and focused on forcing that tiny beam of light from his mind.

Kylo put his shuttle down in a clearing surrounded by towering trees. He rose from his seat, legs shaking due to their long period of inactivity. Exhaustion hit him like a brick wall, he stifled a yawn as he headed to his quarters. He fell asleep almost the second his head touched the soft pillow. In his dreams he saw a familiar girl boarding an orange and white ship, waving farewell to a… Was that a Wookiee?

Kylo Ren awoke some hours later, to find another soul aboard his shuttle. No, a girl. Shit. He sprang out of the bed he had fallen asleep on fully clothed, and froze. As he peaked through the crack in his door, he saw that fucking Jakku girl. He reached for his sabre, and swore as he realised it was still in the cockpit of his ship. The girl was sitting in the kitchen area of his ship, at his table. His table. She was defiling his ship with her very presence. He began to formulate a plan.

"I know you're there, Ren. You may as well just come sit" Her voice echoed through the shuttle

Kylo stood, mouth hanging open in a combination of fear, shock, and horror. How did she find him? He placed his mask over his thin face to hide his emotion, and draped himself in his black cloak. He ventured out to scope his surroundings.

Rey turned to face him "You do not seriously sleep with that thing on, do you?" she scoffed "Sit."

Ren thought better than to argue with this girl, he sat down heavily.

"I made you some caff, I imagine you take it black?"

Was that a joke?

Kylo stared at the steaming mug, he didn't touch it.

"Why are you here, girl" he said darkly, trying to keep his confusion under control. He couldn't see his sabre.

"Rey. My name is Rey" she rolled her eyes "I wanted to talk to you, I don't believe you are half as scary as everyone believes you to be. Otherwise, you would have killed me back on Starkiller."

Ren said nothing. Rey, Pretty name. Her face was pale in the dim light of the shuttle, her blue eyes darker than before.

"Anyway, we are connected in some way. As you may have guessed." Rey continued, she straightened herself up "And I have reasons to believe that the compassion you showed me on Starkiller was… Was a part of your former self breaking through."

Kylo breathed through his teeth, he wanted to be angry, he wanted to scream, to laugh and tell her how wrong she was. But he couldn't. He was dedicated to the dark side, to the First Order, to their beliefs and practises. However, he knew that there was still a part of him, still a part of the Solo boy inside him, and he was beginning to break free.

"I know how you feel about Snoke" The girl continued, fiddling with her hands, she was nervous "And I thought we could help each other out."

Ren stared. He was curious.

"We kill Snoke."


	5. Discussions

Rey didn't think Kylo Ren could laugh, oh how wrong she was. His voice echoed throughout the shuttle, a dark, murderous laugh, she wondered if he was faking. She watched him, face screwed up in confusion.

"You… Want… Kill…" Ren managed in between breaths "You actually think we could kill the most powerful being in the galaxy? Pha!" He continued to laugh until his sides ached.

Rey stood up, angered by his reaction "We could at least try!"

Kylo stared at her, the black eyes of his mask glinting "What makes you think I want to kill Snoke?"

Rey paused, choosing her words carefully, afraid of another outburst of cynical laughter from Ren "You know I can somehow work my way into your head? I can also sense your feelings. You have an awful lot of built up anger concerning that… Can I even call him a man?"

Kylo snickered again, thinking of a way to prove her wrong, thinking of any excuse to label her as insane. But he couldn't.

"I imagine" Rey continued "That if I can probe around in your head, you can also do the same to me"

Kylo recalled his dream "Yes. I believe so"

Rey smiled at him even though she was greatly unnerved by that hideous mask "Great! Then at least we agree on something."

Ren thought for a moment, "How do you plan on killing Snoke if you have no force training?"

Fuck. Rey had hoped he wouldn't ask that. She sat down again, fiddling with her hands again "I was hoping you could train me"

Kylo stared. Train her?

"Why should I trust you? How do I know you won't bring the whole Resistance down on me?"

Rey thought for a moment "Because I don't have any comms equipment, and I didn't tell anyone where I was going. Search my mind if you must."

Ren believed her "How did you find out where I was?"

The scavenger rolled her eyes "Do you really need to ask?"

Fuck, yeah. Stupid mind reader. He remembered his dream.

"So, are you training me or not?"

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The pair stood outside the shuttle, Rey blinking in the sunlight, Ren towering beside her like a dark shadow.

"So I can move small objects and use my sabre, but that's about it. Oh! And I can control minds" she explained how she escaped Finalizer.

"Impressive" Kylo said, he was genuinely impressed "considering you have no prior training"

Rey smiled, she didn't believe that this man, all black cape and anger, was so bad. So far he had been fairly kind to her. "One condition" she stated.

Ren cocked his head.

"I will not call you Master"

Kylo Ren smiled, hidden by his mask, at the strange scavenger girl who, in the few hours of being in his presence, had bought him light even in the darkest of places.

He stood up straight "Show me what you can do."

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Hours later, Rey stumbled inside the shuttle. Sweating, sore, and miserable. Apparently Kylo's method of training involved her having to run a fucking marathon.

"You have to have a strong body as well as a strong mind" His metallic voice called when she questioned him yet again why she was doing this.

"There's a fresher in the crew's quarters!" He yelled, as she disappeared inside. Kylo suddenly realised he still did not know where his sabre was, he made a mental note to search for it. Ren realised that the Jakku girl also didn't have her sabre on her.

"Smart" he thought, at least if she was going to try to kill him again she would have to be more creative.

Rey emerged from the fresher a half hour later, looking a lot more cheerful than when she went in. Ren was sitting at the table, a data pad in his gloved hands. Rey couldn't see his face, but she could feel his concern.

"The First Order have put word out of my disappearance"

The scavenger girl was confused.

"Well I didn't exactly tell them where I was going. Disabled my comms and tracker and left, otherwise they would have been here, killed you, and dragged me back to Moraband"

Dragged? Rey scrunched up her face, thinking. That made it seem like Kylo didn't want to go back to Moraband. But if he didn't go back, how would they kill that bastard, Snoke?

Ren must have sensed her confusion, the black eyes of his mask sparkled in the light of the shuttle.

"Easy, you simply become my apprentice"

Rey froze. What? He could not be serious. Okay, maybe she didn't hate this psychopath as much as she did, but she was not prepared to become an apprentice of the First Order. Her disgust must have been visible on her face.

Ren laughed as if he was expecting that reaction from the girl.

"I am the only Knight without an apprentice, and I'm sure Snoke would enjoy having another sensitive force user on his side" He said, glancing at his pad "It's the perfect cover, and it will stop the Order asking questions."

As much as Rey hated the idea of becoming an apprentice to this monster, she had to admit it was a decent plan. This would allow her to infiltrate the First Order, which is what Master Skywalker had suggested to do to attempt to bring back Ben.

"You realise, that afterwards when we return to the Resistance, I will continue my training with Master Luke."

Kylo sighed, he had expected this. "Fine, but you will have to learn the ways of the dark side."

Rey bit her lip, she knew that this was a slippery slope, and if she went too far there would be no turning back.

"Alright, but I am not wearing a mask" she pointed at Ren's shadowed face.

Under his mask, Kylo Ren smiled.


	6. Departure

Rey slept in a cramped bunk in the crew's quarters, whilst Kylo retired to his captain's chambers. She had trouble sleeping, for hours on end she stared at the ceiling. Ren was snoring softly in his chambers, at least he was sleeping fine. She sighed, even though she and Ren seemed to be getting along, she still wasn't a hundred percent sure she could trust him. After all, he was a man with a death toll in the millions. Her heart ached when she thought about the Hosnian system, Resistance troops had been on some of those planets. Rey shuddered. Sure, Ren hadn't actually given the order to fire, but he had been one of the bastards involved. When Rey eventually fell into the dark world of sleep, she dreamed about the screams of millions as they burned at the hands of Hux and his followers.

Rey awoke groggy and confused, when she tried to stand she felt as if the shuttle was moving.

"God. I must have slept terribly" She yawned, rubbing her sleep filled eyes.

Wait.

The ship was actually moving. Rey panicked, immediately thinking that Kylo Ren was whisking her off to the First Order where she would be tortured and killed. Grabbing her sabre from its hiding place, she raced to the cockpit, to find him piloting the vessel to God knows where. As quietly as possible, Rey crept up behind the man, raising her sabre, ready to pounce.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" Ren breathed "Even without my sabre, I can still overpower you with my mind."

Rey halted, giving the back of his inky helmet the death stare. Gingerly she lowered her sabre, but kept it within reach in case of emergency.

"Where are you taking me, Ren?" Rey said, coldly.

"Relax. We are going back to Moraband, where you can pose as my apprentice and begin your training"

Rey tried to relax, but kept her guard up. Plonking herself down in the co-pilot seat, she sighed.

"What are you doing?" Kylo's metallic voice

"Well I may as well make myself useful, and you're going to need a co-pilot." She could feel his eyes on her, "Any issues with this?"

Kylo Ren was silent for a long time, he was a Knight of Ren, a powerful warrior, and he certainly didn't need help piloting a shuttle that he had been flying alone for a decade. But he knew the girl would get bitchy if he pointed out this fact, so instead he silently shook his head, rolling his eyes under his mask. Punching the control panel, the ship lurched into hyperspace.

.

.

.

"We will be arriving on Moraband shortly" Kylo said, glancing at Rey who was admiring the complicated control panel. "I will have to inform the Order of our arrival, stay quiet."

Rey nodded, she had been admiring the complicated comms panel for hours in an attempt to take her mind off the fact that she was about to begin training from a psychotic murderer who had killed her friend and millions of others, she had never seen wiring completed so beautifully.

"This is Ren, I have found the girl."

The voice on the other end crackled with static for a few moments, before clearing a landing pad for the shuttle.

Rey's stomach churned. Even though she knew this was the plan, and she was at least forty percent sure that Kylo wouldn't betray her, she was still fucking terrified. Memories of Finalizer flooded back to her mind, memories she had forced out. She shivered, Morabands clouds glinting evilly in the dim light of the atmosphere.

"Stay calm. It is likely that Snoke will demand an audience with us both, if he tries to get inside your head you must let him." Kylo murmured "We can't allow him to suspect anything."

Rey swallowed, trying to control her nerves. Unable to form words properly, she managed to squeak "Sure."

"I will need my sabre back, it would look suspicious if I returned without it."

Rey realised he was right, she went to retrieve it from its hiding place. She turned it in her hands, remembering the fizz of energy that almost killed her back on Starkiller. Again, the wave of doubt flooded over her. Could she trust this man? Would he come back to the resistance with her? Would she even manage to turn him back to the light?

"Breaking atmo, need you back here!" Ren shouted from the comms board.

"Just a sec!" She yelled back, voice wobbling. Taking a second to clear her head, Rey swallowed her fear and headed back to Kylo.

Ren landed the shuttle beautifully, realising he must have inherited his amazing piloting talents from Han caused Rey to feel sick. Han Solo was dead. Killed by his own son. Who she was now trying to… Befriend? Gain trust? I mean, sure Rey trusted him to an extent, but she was still uncertain about the whole situation.

As the pair exited the ship, they were met by a scowling man and a silver Trooper.

"Ren! Pleasure to have you return." The man said, condescendingly.

Rey stood silently beside Kylo, she could feel him roll his eyes under his mask.

"General Hux, I have retrieved the Jakku girl." Kylo glossed over Hux's remark as he gestured to Rey.

"I'm sure Snoke will be pleased, he received word of your return and has demanded an audience. He is not happy with any of this, Ren. His favourite pawn vanished for days."

The men began to argue about Kylo's disappearance, Rey glanced at the silver Trooper who had stayed silent throughout the entire encounter.

"Captain Phasma here will escort you to the Hall." Hux spat, turning around and storming off.

"Fuck." Rey thought. "Everyone here has got a temper, it's not just Kylo."

"Follow me" Phasma stated, leading the way.

Woah. Female. The Trooper was female. Rey didn't even realise that Troopers could be female. In a way she was impressed at the First Order. Even the resistance didn't allow women to have specific roles.

"I am able to make my own way to Snoke, Phasma" Ren said coldly

"Noted. But you have a high risk prisoner."

High risk? Rey smiled inwardly, apparently the First Order thought that she was so dangerous she needed the captain of the Troopers to escort her.

Kylo Ren grumbled and complained for the whole duration of the walk to Snoke's meeting place. When they arrived outside the huge doors, Phasma turned and left. Kylo watched her leave, and then relaxed.

"Okay. So don't think about the plan, don't stop him from snooping around in your head, and don't let him manipulate you. Remember, you're to pose as my apprentice."

Rey nodded.

Under his mask, Ren smiled. Giving Rey a touch on the arm for good luck, the pair entered the hall.


	7. Mind Games

Rey gawked at the size of the hall. The cold stone walls glistened in the dim light, the ceiling wasn't visible even when she craned her neck. Lost in a sea of dark clouds far above their heads. As sinister the room was, there was an odd sense of beauty to it.

"Remember what I told you" Kylo murmured. He mentally punched himself in the gut, WHY had he touched her arm? He didn't really do people. God. She must hate him even more. Idiot. Complete fucking idiot.

Rey nodded, she had already forgotten the arm touching. Completely oblivious to the internal conflict that Ren was having, she continued to gaze into the darkness as she followed Kylo to the centre of the room. She watched Ren stride over to a circular stone platform, she followed.

"What if when he searches my mind, he finds our plan?" Rey whispered, she knew it was stupid to whisper, they were alone.

"We don't even have a plan together yet, it's highly unlikely he will uncover anything… I'm certain we'll be fine, don't worry." Kylo muttered, he was trying to convince himself as well as the girl, he knew that if Snoke uncovered anything they were both dead.

Rey opened her mouth to reply, but at that exact moment the giant hologram of Supreme Leader Snoke appeared in front of them. She watched Kylo Ren bow his head and kneel, mouth hanging open in a mix of fear and wonder.

"Rise, my apprentice" Snoke's voice sent chills down the length of Rey's spine.

Kylo rose, meeting Snoke's gaze.

"I see you have found yourself a pet."

Rey balled her fists, pet? How dare he!

"Yes my lord, I have acquired an apprentice" Kylo's voice echoed throughout the hall.

"And this is the specimen that bested you on Starkiller?"

Ouch. Rey could feel Kylo tense. Awkward.

"Yes, my lord..." Ren muttered darkly.

Fuck. Rey shifted awkwardly on her heels.

Snoke turned his massive face to Rey.

"So, girl, you are to join my Order and train under my most valued warrior?"

Shit. Rey had hoped that Snoke would forget she was there.

"I… Uh…" Her heart pounded, blood rushed to her head.

"Yes. I will teach her our ways, my Lord" Kylo squinted at Rey.

Fuck. Now Snoke thought she was weak, although she could use that to her advantage.

Snoke laughed, obviously entertained by Ren coming to the girl's rescue.

"You care for this creature?"

Rey's heart stopped. Maybe Snoke was just winding them up, trying to get into their minds. But Kylo had frozen, she could feel the shame radiating from him. The arm touching… Rey almost fainted.

"That's not…" Ren started, but Snoke silenced him with a wave of his giant hand.

"Is it really, well then. Maybe _she_ cares for you!"

Rey tasted bile. She lunged at Snoke, attempting to fight him. But the giant figure simply raised his hand, and choked the living daylight out of her.

"Careful, girl." Snoke said calmly "You don't want to do that. Why don't we find out where all this rage is coming from, eh?"

Rey collapsed on the floor clutching her throat, she stared wide eyed at Kylo, praying that he would help her. No help came. Instead, Snoke forced his way into her head, reliving memories she had long forgotten. She saw her parents' ship leaving her on Jakku as a young Rey screamed for them to come back, she saw herself scavenging fallen Star Destroyers so that she could afford to eat. More… intimate… memories surfaced. Her thoughts on Ren became exposed, how she was beginning to trust him, how she had even laughed with him. Snoke recoiled from her mind, his face twisted in a terrifying smirk.

"Well… That was certainly… Interesting" Snoke said slyly "What are your thoughts, Ren?"

Kylo turned to face Snoke, not meeting the girl's eyes. "Yes, sir. Interesting."

Fuck.

Not good.

Really not good.

"Train this girl, Kylo Ren. See that she becomes one of us." Snoke growled, the giant form disappearing into the darkness.

.

.

.

Rey didn't move for a long time. She couldn't face Kylo, she could feel him judging her. She curled up tighter on the cold stone floor, wishing she was back at the Base with her friends, away from the confines of the Order.

"Rey?" Kylo said softly "Come on, let's go."

She wrapped her arms around her knees and shook her head lightly.

"Rey come on." Kylo was beginning to get annoyed, his non-existent patience failing him.

Now kneeling, Rey muttered something under her breath.

Ren cocked his head, "Didn't quite catch that"

"Did you see?"

"Yes Rey, I saw." Kylo sighed, "And I've seen a lot worse, so let's go back to my quarters and I'll set up a bed for you"

Rey nodded and stood up on shaky legs. Kylo grabbed her arm to steady her, ignoring the way his brain was yelling at him to stop. Together they walked off down the dark corridors to Ren's quarters.

"Get in bed" Kylo snapped

Rey was still dazed and off in her own universe, she didn't even realise that he had said anything until he repeated himself another three times.

"I'm not kicking you out of your bed, Kylo."

"You're not kicking me out, I'm offering it to you. I'll sleep on the couch."

Rey sighed in defeat and allowed him to lead her to his room.

"Get some rest, I'll see you in the morning for training."

Rey panicked suddenly, remembering the sensation of Snoke snooping around her mind.

"Kylo, can you stay with me? Just until I fall asleep?"

Ren paused by the door and removed his mask.

"Just until you fall asleep, because I pity you for what Snoke did."

He sat on the side of the bed as she climbed in and settled.

"Thank you"

"Don't mention it. And I'm deadly serious, never mention this"

When Rey eventually drifted into sleep, she dreamed of Jakku and a tall, handsome stranger.


	8. Training Wheels

Rey pulled the black duvet up over her head and attempted to force herself back to sleep. She missed Jakku, it was nice to experience it in a dream. Sure, she didn't miss the heat, the thieves, and the constant fight for survival. It was the little things that made her heart ache. The sunset over the old Star Destroyer in the distance, the hustle and bustle of merchants in Niima Outpost, the passing smugglers with their tales of long lost Jedi. Rey even missed having to scavenge to be able to afford food, the remembered the satisfaction she experienced when she found an old Imperial blaster and cashed it in for four whole portions. Although, she had suspected that Plutt was taking pity on her. After all, she was the frailest person in Niima, strong but frail.

Sighing, Rey dropped her feet to the floor and padded over to the door, as she peeped around the corner she could make out Kylo's massive frame in the gloom. It was here, when he was curled up under his black cloak, dark hair a mess, that he looked peaceful. Not the vicious murderer who could destroy entire star systems at the simple push of a button, no, in his slumber he looked like a young man at ease with himself. Smiling inwardly, Rey silently made her way to the fresher, looking back just in time to witness Ren drool on his pillow.

Dropping her tunic, Rey stepped into the hot stream. Bliss. Absolute fucking bliss. The amount of people back on Jakku that would literally murder for this amount of water. She hummed an old tune as she washed her hair, she never thought she would be homesick for a desolate wasteland.

"You care for this… creature"

One, how dare Snoke call her a creature. Two, did Ren care for her? Did he have feelings for her? Fuck, did Rey have feelings for HIM? She shuddered. Maybe Kylo wasn't the monster he used to be anymore, maybe she did care for him in a way, but she wasn't sure if she trusted him yet. Shutting off the water, Rey wrapped herself in a huge black towel and dried herself off, pulling her hair into a knot. Forcing the thoughts of Ren out of her head, she pulled on her tunic and headed back into the main room.

.

.

.

Kylo listened to the shower patter against the tiles as he stared at the ceiling. His life had changed immensely in the last few days. He had gone from a hardened warrior scarred by battle and bloodshed, to a… He didn't even know what he was anymore, didn't know WHO he was. Was he turning back to the light? Was Ben Solo making a comeback? He had shown the girl compassion and stood up for her in the face of Supreme Leader Snoke. Or… Maybe he was just becoming soft. Kylo scoffed. He was a Knight of Ren, a master of war, he was indestructible. He was not soft.

Kylo's comms table blipped to gain his attention, groaning he dragged himself over and pressed the call button.

"What?"

"Good morning to you too, Ren" Hux's mousy voice crackled over the intercom

Fuck. What does this idiot want.

"Supreme Leader Snoke has informed me that you have acquired a pet?"

"An apprentice yes." For some reason Ren was immensely annoyed that Hux had insulted Rey. He balled his fists.

"Interesting…"

Kylo felt the blood rush to his head. Hux was judging him. He considered force choking him right there and then.

"Well I have updated your training schedule to allow time for your pet to adjust to our regime. You are both expected in the training hall at 0900" The intercom clicked off, but Kylo could still feel Hux's presence. That fucking…. GAH! He covered his face with his eyes, hating that Hux had to be part of everything. That little deceiving…

"Kylo?"

Fuck. Ren lifted his head from his hands and stood.

"Are you okay?" Rey asked cautiously.

"Yes" He lied, "We have to go for training."

He strode over to where his helmet and sabre were sitting on the coffee table and hurried out of the room, Rey following obediently like dog after its master.

.

.

.

Rey was glad that their training was a one-on-one program, the other Knights in the room had been eyeing her up since the pair had walked into the hall. Of course, no one dared to talk to her. Kylo was well known for his rage, and word of his actions towards Snoke seemed to be spreading. She thought that odd general had something to do with it.

"Ignore them. Most of those imbeciles haven't seen a female since they were recruited" Kylo muttered, staring daggers at his fellow knights.

"Have you?" Rey asked as Ren threw a training baton at her.

"Have I what?"

"Seen any females since you…" Rey didn't know how to finish. Defected? Betrayed your family?

Kylo attacked the dummy with his sabre, leaving it a smoking heap on the floor.

"No."

He wasn't really lying to Rey, the first order didn't recruit females, ever since the incident with his grandmother and Vader emotional attachments were forbidden. How Phasma came into the Order was unknown even to him.

"So really you should be staring at me all googly eyed too then?" Rey joked, slamming the butt of her baton into another dummy.

"I have more important matters to attend to." He wasn't sure if he was lying this time.

Rey was silent as she focused on her strikes. She was a fast learner and was already getting semi-decent at close combat, she had hidden her sabre in Ren's quarters to avoid it getting confiscated. Kylo noticed the little things he had not noticed before, the way her brows knitted together when she scowled in concentration, the tiny beads of sweat running down the back of her neck, the way her dark hair glinted in the light of the hall.

"Snap out of it you fucking idiot" Kylo shook his head, he was getting distracted. Why? He did admit that Rey was pretty, maybe even beautiful. But he was still confused on their situation. The arm touches had been accidental, the support he showed when Snoke was grilling her meant nothing. Or did it?

"Kylo?"

He had been so zoned out that he hadn't realised that Rey had completed her tasks and disabled all the dummies. She had done well.

"Good. Very good." He said approvingly.

Rey beamed, Kylo smiled slightly, her happiness was infectious.

The pair exited the hall, walking along in silence when Ren's wrist comm alerted his attention.

"Kylo Ren, you have been summoned by Supreme Leader Snoke for a performance update." The voice crackled

"Received. Should I gather the Knights?"

"Negative. They are not required."

Odd. Performance updates were normally an event for all the Knights, with the underperformers being severely punished.

Kylo turned to face Rey who was staring at him with wide eyes. Eyes he could drown in. Gods, get that out of your head.

"You remember the way back to my quarters don't you?"

Rey nodded.

"Don't talk to anyone, make yourself comfortable, I've had a droid bring some extra clothes for you. I'll be back soon." He touched her arm before he departed, sending a shiver down his spine.

.

.

.

Rey wandered the dark halls of the Moraband fortress as she made her way back to Kylo's living space. This time she had been aware that he had touched her. Normally she hated anyone invading her personal space, especially after an incident with an old… Friend? Partner? But for some reason this was okay for her. Enjoyable even. She looked at the floor as a group of Knights whisked past her, giving her looks and whispering to each other. They stopped and shouted after her as she hurried off.

"Oi! Ren's pet! Come here, we want a look at you!" A gruff voice yelled

Don't talk to anyone. Kylo's voice echoed in her head. She kept walking, increasing her pace.

"Didn't you hear us? We want a look at you."

Rey couldn't breathe, couldn't move. She was aware that she was hovering. Force choke! That sick bastard! She was completely helpless as they advanced on her, she tried reaching for Kylo with her mind, uncertain if she had managed to reach him.

"Oh my, you are pretty." The largest Knight purred, making Rey's skin crawl.

"Why is Ren keeping a pretty thing like you all to himself? That's a bit unfair isn't it?"

Rey wanted to run, wanted to vomit, wanted Kylo to rescue her from these monsters. She tried to reach him again, she felt a light brush of his presence, but he was too far away.

"Take her top off! It's been years since I've been with a woman!" The same gruff voice shouted, the others laughed.

Hands. They were touching her. Pulling at her clothes. She tried to break free, tried to kick, tried to escape. But they were too strong, they easily overpowered her. When her tunic lay ripped and ruined on the floor she screamed for Kylo, in her mind and out loud. The Knights just laughed.

"You're too much hassle when you're conscious, girl. I'm sure we can sort that out fairly easily though, no worries."

The invisible noose tightened around her neck, cutting off her air. She was aware of a black masked figure racing towards her, screaming in fury, she could smell the ozone emanating from a sabre and could hear the pained wails of men in agony. Before she blacked out Rey was aware of being wrapped in a familiar smelling black cloak, and being carried off at a sprint down the dark halls.


	9. Realisations

Rey dreamed that she was running for her life, but for some reason she was topless. She ran down dark halls with long shadows, angry voices shouting after her. Her throat tight with exhaustion, limbs aching from the strain of running, but she couldn't stop. They would get her if she stopped. Dead end. Fuck. They were coming. They would get her. It would all be over soon. She backed into the corner, crouching down in an attempt to protect her body. Screaming, she covered her face as the hands began to grab her, groping her sides, pulling her hair.

Rey woke screaming. Again. The two prior times she had woken she had screamed. Kylo didn't blame her, he had thought that the one-on-one meeting with Snoke had been odd. Turns out it was a ruse to separate the pair. When the screaming began the first time, Ren had raced from his couch to calm Rey, after the second time he had decided it was best to stay awake in the room with her to be there for her as he was certain it would happen again. Unfortunately, Kylo was so exhausted from keeping an eye on Rey and had dozed off, so when she woke kicking and screaming for the third time he received the fright of his life.

"Rey, it's okay, they're gone, it's me, it's Kylo. You're safe"

Rey stared wide eyed, sweat beads forming on her forehead.

"It's me, you're safe" Kylo reached out and patted her hand.

"Promise?" Rey whispered, grabbing Ren's hand.

In a normal circumstance Kylo would have freaked out that he was actually holding Rey's hand, but he was too focused on calming her down to care. He scooted closer to Rey on the bed and carefully put his arm round her shoulder, she tensed at first but relaxed as she found comfort in the contact. Kylo gently stroked her hair as she fell asleep again, he realised that he was becoming increasingly fond of Rey, he felt closer to the Light when he was with her. For the first time since Ren was a youngling, the thought of the Light didn't fill him with disgust.

.

.

.

Rey had her head resting on Kylo's lap when he woke up. He gazed at the sleeping girl from Jakku, who just a few weeks ago he had tried to kill. Now he had a strange admiration for her, she made him feel safe, more human. The darkness was definitely leaving him. In the other room, the comm table demanded his attention. Sighing, he gently moved Rey's head to the pillow and stood up.

"Come back soon?" Rey muttered groggily.

"Yeah, okay" Ren promised, as he softly closed the door.

He swore he would murder whoever was demanding his attention. As well as disturbing his rest, they had broken up the whatever-the-hell-moment-thing was going on with himself and Rey. Fuckers.

"What"

"Ren! Surprised to find you conscious at this hour." Hux's pathetic voice breathed over the intercom.

Why. Why does it always have to be fucking Hux.

"Supreme Leader Snoke want's a word. Alone. Immediately."

Shit. An immediate audience with Snoke was never a good thing.

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

Kylo really did not want to be in the presence of Snoke, especially when he was most likely behind the attack on Rey. Fuck.

Groaning, Kylo hauled himself out of his desk chair and headed back towards the bedroom. Rey was semi-conscious and watched him through sleepy eyes as he pulled on his dark boots and cloak, and finally placed his mask over his face.

"Snoke wants to see me, I'll be back soon I promise."

"What happens if they…" Rey started, Ren detected the panic in her voice.

"Nobody will come for you, the door is electromagnetically sealed and can only be opened by a special key card, and only you and I have one"

Rey nodded and her eyes again.

"Just don't be gone too long"

Ren smiled through his mask, he would be back soon.

.

.

.

Kylo knelt as the huge hologram of Snoke appeared.

"My Lord" Kylo said through gritted teeth.

"My favourite Knight, how can I be of your assistance?"

"Cut the crap. You called for me, Supreme Leader." Ren growled.

"Touchy. How did your friend find your companions?"

Fucking bastard. Of course it was him. Of bloody course.

"Are you fucking serious? She's traumatised!"

"Language, my apprentice" Snoke smirked.

Kylo bit his tongue. This is what Snoke wanted.

"This merely confirms my suspicions."

Of. Fucking. Course.

"Suspicions?" Kylo asked, yet he already knew the answer.

"That you do in fact care for the scavenger girl." Snoke gave Kylo a sly, gappy smile.

Kylo said a million swears in his mind. Of course he cared for her, in a way. But he would never admit that to Rey. What would she think, she would surely think him insane. But then again, she hadn't protested when he helped and calmed her. She had even held his hand and fallen asleep on him after the attack. Kylo was surprisingly good at detecting other's feelings, and he could tell that Snoke was loving this. Gorging himself on Ren's shame.

"You may leave, my Knight" Snoke spat, "Get back to your pet."

Kylo stormed out of the room before the hologram had even began to disperse.

Black cloak swirling in an angry cloud behind him, Kylo Ren stormed to his quarters. Troopers and engineers backed up against the wall in a feeble escape to escape the wrath, anyone who was unlucky to be in his way received a strong force push against the wall. How dare Snoke send the Knights against Rey, how fucking dare he.

Angrily swiping his key card, he entered his living space. Drawing his sabre, he swiped in long angry arcs at anything that he came into contact with, screaming and yelling he destroyed the furniture. He threw his mask to the floor and screamed, screamed in rage, screamed in agony over what Snoke had done.

"Kylo what the hell!" Rey emerged from his room, wrapped in a dark night gown. Her eyes were wide with fear, she was terrified.

Pausing, Kylo lowered his sabre. Rey carefully edged towards him, arms raised.

"It's okay, tell me what happened" She said gently.

"Snoke…" Ren breathed hoarsely.

"Snoke? Did he find out?"

"No."

"Then what, Kylo? Tell me." Rey carefully placed her hand on his arm.

"He arranged the whole fucking thing!" Kylo screamed again, throwing Rey off him. He raised his sabre and continued his spree of wrecking his quarters.

"Kylo stop!" Rey screamed, dodging his arcs.

"He set them on you! It was all him!"

"I know, I know! But you have to stop you're going to hurt yourself!"

Ren paused again and dropped to his knees. Rey quickly joined him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Come on, let's get you to bed." Rey said as she held Kylo and guided him to his feet. "Come on, it's okay"

Kylo nodded as he leaned on Rey, he realised she was a lot physically stronger than he originally thought he was.

Sitting him down on the bed, Rey closed the door to hide the destruction in the other room.

Kylo mumbled something under his breath that Rey couldn't hear.

"Sorry?"

"He made them attack you."

"Why? Did he say why?"

He couldn't just admit to Rey that he cared for her and risk scaring her away.

"Because he knows I care about you"

Well done. Fucking idiot.

Rey was silent for a long time. Kylo couldn't meet her gaze, but when he finally did he burst into tears. He knew it was pathetic, he knew that he shouldn't have told her, but he didn't care.

"It's okay, I care about you too" Rey muttered softly, stroking Ren's back. She had realised it was impossible not to care for him, he had saved her from the Knights after all, and he had shown her more kindness than anyone else in this godforsaken fortress.

Kylo rested his head on Rey's shoulder, Rey ran her fingers through his long hair. She realised that this odd, awkward, dark man had somehow become connected to her, she had to succeed on her mission. She had already noticed a change in him, he was drifting further and further from the Dark.

The pair were silent for a long time, Kylo eventually stopped crying and just sat with his head on Rey's shoulder. It was Ren who eventually broke the silence.

"Call me Ben, please."


End file.
